News Excerpt:

The latest Henley Passport Index rankings have placed India's passport at the 82nd position, granting visa-free entry to 58 countries.

• India shares its position with Senegal and Tajikistan in the current rankings.

Key highlights of the Report

• Singapore's passport has been declared the most powerful, offering visa-free access to 195 countries.
• France, Italy, Germany, and Spain, alongside Japan, secure the second spot, each providing access to 192 destinations.
• The third position is occupied by Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden, each allowing visa-free travel to 191 countries.
• The United Kingdom ranks fourth, along with New Zealand, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, and Switzerland.
• Australia and Portugal hold the fifth spot jointly, while the United States has dropped to the eighth position, with visa-free access to 186 countries.
• India’s passport, ranked 82nd, allows citizens to travel to 58 countries without a visa, including popular destinations like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
• Pakistan, a neighboring country, is positioned at 100th, with its passport holders having access to 33 countries.
• Afghanistan sits at the bottom of the list, offering easy access to 26 destinations.

Most powerful passports for 2024:

Trend Analysis

• Over the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in travel freedom.
• The global average of destinations travelers can visit without a visa has nearly doubled, rising from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024.
• Despite this, the gap in global mobility between the highest and lowest-ranked countries has widened more than ever. For example, top-ranked Singapore enjoys visa-free access to 169 more destinations than Afghanistan, which is at the bottom of the index.